Belgium rubbed salt in the wounds of the United States after knocking out the hosts in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, celebrating their 4-1 Round of 16 victory with a fake post that went viral.The Belgian Red Devils appear to be looking directly at the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun’s suspension, posting a direct message on Instagram shortly after the final whistle.
‘Turning this’ post in progress
Following their commanding victory in Seattle, Belgium shared an Instagram Story that simply read: “Pass this.”The comment was interpreted as an insult to FIFA’s decision to suspend the implementation of Balogun’s ban just a day before the clash. Balogun was shown a red card during the United States’ win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32, which led to the suspension. However, FIFA later invoked Article 27 of its constitution to suspend the ban for one year, allowing the player to feature against Belgium.ALSO READ: After the play…The decision drew widespread criticism from around the football world, with the Belgian Football Association unsuccessfully challenging Balogun’s eligibility before his start.Belgium did not stop there.The Red Devils reignited the long-running “soccer” vs. “soccer” debate by writing on the X: “It’s called FOOTBALL.”The performance immediately drew attention from the fans, especially as Belgium’s emphatic victory ended the hosts’ World Cup campaign.
Belgium dominates even the Balogun conflict
In fact, Belgium ensured that before the conflict became a footnote and clinical success.Charles De Ketelaere produced a Player of the Match performance, scoring twice and providing an assist as Belgium booked their place in the quarter-finals. Hans Vanaken scored his maiden FIFA World Cup goal, while substitute Romelu Lukaku completed the scoring in stoppage time with his third consecutive World Cup goal.The United States threatened briefly when Malik Tillman’s deflected free-kick opened the scoring in the first half, but Belgium responded immediately before taking the lead later on.A big mistake from goalkeeper Matt Freese gave Belgium a third goal, and Lukaku capitalized on a late defensive mistake to seal the victory.ALSO READ: Romelu Lukaku makes World Cup history with a super-sub feat as Belgium end USA’s dreamBalogun, whose presence was in the headlines before the start, failed to show any interest in FIFA’s decision. The striker, who went into the game with three goals in the game, assisted the winner from a free-kick as Tillman equalized but struggled to convert the result after that before being substituted late on.The defeat ended the United States’ hopes of reaching the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002 and made them the last of the three participating nations to exit the tournament after Canada and Mexico.
